


Snapshot of a Childhood

by Voldecourt



Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen
Genre: A bit of Nara Clan Worldbuilding, Fluff, Gen, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 07:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18795961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voldecourt/pseuds/Voldecourt
Summary: While on vacation after the twin's first year at the academy, Yoshino decides she and Shikaku are taking their children on a small trip out of the village to visit a farm.





	Snapshot of a Childhood

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Slytherclaw_Rebel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytherclaw_Rebel/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy! Real life made it a bit hard to find time to write this, but I worked hard to make this fun Nara Family fluff fic.
> 
> A special thanks to my wonderful beta, Pepperdoken, and also her cat, who wanted to help.

“Are we there yet?” Shikamaru huffed into Yoshino’s shoulder, voice sleepy with a yawn.

He’d been grumbling since Shikaku had woken him up ten minutes ago, to show him and his sister the deer trail leading into Tōshōdai’s farm, away from the main path. Shikako, from her position on Shikaku’s back, was looking around wide eyed and curious, just as she had been the entire trip. A deer print on the ground had caught her attention, and she was scrambling to be put down so she could investigate it.

Shikamaru, in contrast, had paid only the barest attention to Shikaku’s lesson before attempting to doze off. Not that Yoshino had let him. Honestly, it was a wonder her son ever learned anything with how much he slept when he was supposed to be learning. Not on her watch.

“We’re only a few minutes out from the main house now,” Yoshino answered her son’s question, “See how the forest is starting to clear up?”

Shikamaru and Shikako had just finished their first year at the academy, and had a couple weeks off for the teachers to deal with the graduating class and sort out the influx of new students. It was the perfect time to take the twins out of the village for the first time, and show them one of the clan’s non-village farms.

Shikaku hadn’t wanted to deal with it, but the kids had to learn at some point, no matter how reluctant Shikaku was to really train them. It had taken some prodding from Yoshino, and some pointed non-conversations about how teaching their children clan stuff wasn’t about to make him as overbearing as his father, before he relented with a sigh.

They were making a proper family trip out of it, as well. Normally, this kind of journey would take Yoshino or Shikaku less than a day, even at an easy pace, but with the two children to show sights to and keep entertained, they stretched the travel time out, with a break at a nearby inn in the village of Kinchaku-gai overnight.

It was harder than she’d thought it would be, being out of the village with the kids. She knew, in her mind that they were taking the safest civilian roads, and that the village was so close to konoha, running into any kind of ninja would be so rare. But she couldn’t help but think back to the worst days of the war, when enemy infiltration was at its peak and there was no guarantee of safety no matter how close to the village. But those days were behind them now. And any enemy foolish enough to take on her and Shikaku when their children were in danger would be in for a short, violent end.

“Look, see that building just ahead? We’re here!” Shikaku said, pulling Yoshino out of her thoughts.

“Time to get down then, Shikamaru.You can’t greet Tōshōdai-san if you’re sleeping. ”

Her son groaned and clung tightly to her, “Troublesome”

Shikako, who had been avidly following the deer tracks as she held onto her father’s wrist, giggled, then as they passed the large deer barn and crossed by a field, went to hide behind her father as the family passed some curious farmhands and approached the large wooden door of the main house.

Tōshōdai opened the door almost immediately, beaming wide at the group, “Shikaku! Always so nice to see you. I’m glad your busy schedule let you come visit us, for a change. And Yoshino, you’re looking as lovely as always!”

Tōshōdai was an older, wiry man, about 20 years Yoshino’s elder. She didn’t know him well, but he used to live in the village, and had looked over Shikaku a lot when he was growing up. He and his wife, Touko, had been some of the Nara who had welcomed Yoshino into the clan with open arms, and had looked so happy for them during their wedding. The passing years hadn’t made his easy going attitude or good humor fade.

Shikaku smiled wide at the man and bowed and Yoshino copied him while saying “It’s been too long, Tōshōdai. I don’t think you’ve gotten to meet our children, yet. This is Shikamaru and Shikako. Say hello, you two.”

Shikaku’s hand waved on over to their children. Shikako stood straight and bowed then spoke, in barely more than a whisper, “H-hello Tōshōdai-san, thanks for allowing us to stay in your house.”

Shikamaru remained slouched by her side, but gave a nod of his head and a “Yeah, thanks.”

Tōshōdai’s grin stretched further as he took greeted the kids, “ Hey there! My wife and I have been looking forward to meeting you two! Your parents have forced you to come all the way out to this dusty old farm huh? Well, hopefully you two can have fun. Come on in, now, you all must want some tea after the journey. Touko would kill me if I didn’t offer you some refreshments.”

Neither child seemed to know what to say to that. Shikako just gave a shy hesitant smile while Shikamaru yawned.

Yoshino held back a sigh. Honestly, they both needed to learn how to be more polite. But it was something, at least. “Tea sounds lovely, thank you Tōshōdai.” Yoshino answered.

The main house they were ushered into was worn in places, and had a lingering scent of deer and dirt to it, but it was cozy and cooler than the unseasonably warm spring air.

“And what about you two kids?” Tōshōdai’ asked once they were all seated in the living room, “You’re too young for caffeine I think. Would you like some apple juice?”

Shikamaru mumbled a vague thanks and Shikako nodded while not looking up from the table, barely able to glance up at the man or meet his eyes.

“Great! Be right back then!”

With that he bustled out into the kitchen, leaving the Nara family alone in the sitting room. Shikako turned to Shikaku almost immediately “How many people are here? There were a whole lot of people out working when we came in. And was that big building we passed where the deer go? I saw the tracks there but you said that our deer like to live outside.”

Shikaku chuckled. “You’ll have to ask Tōshōdai when he comes back. He knows all the answers.”

They were trying to work on making Shikako open up more to people she didn’t know. It wasn’t the most successful endeavor, as proved by the mulish stare she was fixing Shikaku with. “You know too,” she accused him, grumbling, “you know everything because you’re in charge of everyone.”

Yoshino wanted to laugh at her husband’s panicked face as he tried to come up with a statement to placate her, but he was unfortunately spared from having to answer the question in a satisfactory way when Tōshōdai returned, tray of tea and two small plates of cookies and juice glasses in hand.

Pleasant small talk was made while everyone drank their tea, catching up and talking about the plans for the next two days. Touko entered the house not a few minutes after they had sat down. She was as exuberant and as cheerful as her husband, and, having been born an Akimichi, took one look at the cookies her children were munching on and hurried over to the kitchen to pile on more sweets.

Yoshino was pretty sure their own son, Takatori, didn’t have any children, so she was probably excited to spoil some kids.

“So,” Tōshōdai asked them with a grin as Touko pulled Shikaku into a conversation about the village, ”The farm out here is different from what you see in the village, isn’t it?”

“We saw a lot of workers outside,” Shikamaru said, contributing to the conversation for the first time, “How many people live here?”

“Oh, it changes depending on the season. Right now we’ve got more hired hands from the villages because it’s planting season, but as far as the Nara go, we’ve got about 20 people here, as well as some Akimichi and Yamanaka who handle the...”

As Tōshōdai expounded on his answer Yoshino inwardly sighed. It was sweet of Shikamaru to ask his sister’s questions for her but she’d have to learn how to talk to strangers at some point.

Now wasn’t the time to press on that, though. Hopefully as they continued to talk Shikako’s curiosity would get the better of her. If anything could get her daughter to break out of her shell, it was new information.

They weren’t just here on a social visit, of course. Tōshōdai’s farm was their main supplier of chamomile and ginger, both medicinal herbs needed for Akimichi food pills, as well as a fair amount of deer velvet. He met with Shikaku or a proxy yearly to iron out details and go over the year’s shipments and future crop yields.

With how busy Shikaku normally was, Yoshino usually was the one to take care of this kind of thing, but he had gotten a few days off to come on this visit. Yoshino didn’t know how he had gotten the time off, but she figured it had something to do with the meeting he was going to have with Tōshōdai that she and the kids weren’t going to be present for. Not that he’d mentioned anything about that to her, of course. But if it was something important, then she’d figure it out soon enough.

As talk turned away from small talk and to crop yields and production, Shikamaru and Shikako were on their best behavior, Shikako attentive and listening despite not looking up from the table much. Shikamaru looked tired, but he hadn’t fallen asleep and was following the conversation, which was about as much as she could hope for the five year old.

When the initial discussion and a subsequent lunch was over, hours later, Touko ushered them outside with a “It’s such a beautiful day outside, why don’t you kids enjoy the day with me.”  
  
Shikaku got up with a stretch, and the rest followed. “Ah, that sounds like a good idea. Tōshōdai has to show me something in the barn anyway, you kids should go out and enjoy yourselves.”

Ah, this must be where they discussed the mysterious secret thing Yoshino wasn’t supposed to know about. Well, it would be nice to catch up with Touko-san.

“I came to this farm as a kid a few times, you know,” Shikaku continued, “And if I remember right up on the other side of the farm there’s a creek that runs by. My brother and I loved it there.”

“Ok!” Shikako said brightly.

Shikamaru grunted, and allowed Shikaku to lead them out the door. Along the way Yoshino made sure to bump into her husband, a little. Ikoma’s death was a scar on Shikaku that had yet to heal.

Once at the creek Yoshino and Touko took a seat on nearby log that seemed placed for the purpose of watching the small brook. Shikamaru took one look at the running water and cluster of weeds and wildflowers along the bank ignored them with a dismissive snort to lay on his back and look up at the clouds. Shikako was more interested in the running water, taking off her shoes and wading in the bank to investigate the rocks on the riverbed.

As Yoshino and Touko talked about recipes and farm work, Yoshino made sure to keep half an eye on the kids. They had been around water before, of course, and the creek only went up to their calves at the deepest, but it was best to be safe. Even if Shikamaru was just sleeping on the bank and Shikako quickly became bored of investigating alone.

Eventually, Shikako’s play came to a slow and she looked over to her brother, bored. She poked him in the side. “Shika.”

There was a plea and a demand in just that one word. Shikamaru groaned. “I don’t wanna get wet. It’s too troublesome.”

Another poke to the side, harder this time. “Come on, please Shika?”

“No. Don’t you have a book to read?”

“I finished it last night. Come on! There’s some fish in the water, or maybe tadpoles. Don’t you wanna see?”

Shikako’s book had been 100 pages long, at least. She must have stayed up late to read, again. Yoshino had been hoping it would last the entire trip. Next time she’d have to bring more.

“Leave me alone and play by yourself, Kako.” Shikamaru said, refusing to budge up.

Shikako pouted. “Fine. You go and be boring laying on the grass.”

Shikamaru huffed and closed his eyes, ready to go to sleep. Yoshino frowned. Honestly, her lazy son inherited the worst things from his father.

She was stopped from calling at him by a determined Shikako approaching her and Touko on silent feet, a determined glint in her eye. Wordlessly, she pointed at a bucket sitting nearby, probably meant for deer feed, and looked at them with an inquisitive tilt in her face.

Yoshino, seeing where she was going with this, nodded, a small smile on her face. Touko did the same next to her with a little wave. Shikako met both their eyes and smiled brightly in thanks, then made her way to the creek with the bucket in tow.

Seconds later Shikamaru was soaking wet, a triumphant Shikako holding her upturned bucket over him with a grin of victory on her face.

“Ugh, Kako!” He yelled, making his way toward the quickly retreating girl.

Shikako ran toward the creek laughing, a bedraggled Shikamaru furiously giving chase, moving faster than he ever did during morning exercises. Once at the waterbank shikako slowed and readied her bucket for another attack, but he dodged and went to grab the bucket from her hands.

A furious tug of war happened then, which Shikako attempted to win by kicking her brother in the shin. As a retaliation Shikamaru abruptly let go of the bucket, sending Shikako toppling into the shallow creek with a shriek. Oh dear. Well, at least Yoshino had the foresight to bring extra clothes along.

A soaking Shikako attempted to get her revenge by getting up and tackling Shikamaru while wrapping her wet arms around him, getting him as wet as possible. As Shikamaru tried to push her off they both overbalanced, and tumbled into the creek. Well, it was a good lesson in staying aware of hazardous environments while engaged with an enemy, Yoshino supposed.

Touko was laughing beside Yoshino, not even trying to muffle her joy. “What adorable children you have, Yoshino! You got lucky, there.”

Yoshino smiled. “Yes, I really did.”

As her two children continued to play by the creek, Yoshino and Touko stopped even the pretense of conversation as she enjoyed the indignant yelps and hysterical laughter of her two greatest joys. 

**Author's Note:**

> Tōshōdai is a minor character from wafflelate's The Dark Fire Will Not Avail You. Touko also showed up in that fic, but didn't have a name so I invented one for this.


End file.
